Roma 125 - Work in progress...

[Rob P]

My current tank is not worthy of a journal and will be replaced in the coming months. I'm neither happy with layout or anything about it inparticular. However, the last few weeks have been rewarding as i've proved to myself that I am capable of growing healthy plants, which makes me very proud as it's taken A LOT of hard work (and learning mostly from here) to get to something i'm starting to take pleasure to look at It is experimental more than anything.

It started like this, end of August 2013, far too much light and no pressurised CO2.



2 months later it was a brown mess and the hard work started in earnest.



This was taken yesterday and my plants are looking super healthy, covered in bubbles/pearling throughout the lighting period and generally much nicer to look at!



Just wanted to share to maybe give hope to other strugglers like myself

 

[Wallace]

I was in the same position as you Rob, a couple of years ago I was looking at pretty pics of tanks and thinking, yeah, I'd like a crack at that.

Out came the plastic plants, in went some wood and various plants, and along came the algae and poor plant health.

Then I found UKAPS.

Many many hours of reading, followed by many more days and weeks of reading I finally began to understand what was required from me to be able to have a healthy planted tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi Rob
Your doing well.
99% of tank problems are contributed to too much light and not enough Co2
I never had much problem with algae in a low tec..as i don't bombard it with huge amounts of lighting.
That's asking for trouble.
hoggie

 

[Rob P]

Thanks guys, this was the problem Hoggie, i was sold the TMC LED's with comments like 'you won't get algae with those'. I was at the time I set up naive, I thought I was doing well adding some ferts and liquid carbon for the 1st time lol

Now I'm a regular PH profiler, dose EI and have great flow/distribution and employ thorough and regular maintenance and the plants are pretty much looking after themselves

 

[Reuben]

looking good rob, and what are the TMC's set at now?

 

[Rob P]

looking good rob, and what are the TMC's set at now?

85% both channels (ducks and covers)

Edit - should add, come on 2.45pm ramp up over 60 minutes, off at 9pm ramp down 60 minutes.

 

[Lee Sweeting]

Well done mate, i think its defiantly all about perseverance. Its looking great. Do you know when you are gonna start the new tank?

 

[Rob P]

Well done mate, i think its defiantly all about perseverance. Its looking great. Do you know when you are gonna start the new tank?

Thanks Lee I'm growing to like it and it looks great seeing it looking clean, healthy and growing.

I've no idea on the new tank. I'm chipping away on the cabinet a little at a time and i've other issues to address, such as the TMC lighting on the Roma is to be used on the new tank and maybe the filter, so that leaves me with the problem of how to run both together for some weeks. When the new tank is ready to start it will be going where the Roma is, and the Roma in the kitchen for a couple of months. But like a nob I cut off all the flex for the Roma T8 light unit so that'll probably not want to work again lol etc. So lots to figure out. And i'm not enjoying the florabase substrate in the Mini M (new thread started today lol) so maybe having a rethink there as well

At least the Roma flourishing is keeping me happy in the meantime and providing the opportunity to experiment with different plants

 

[Rob P]

Thought i'd throw up another picture taken on the 19th Feb. There's quite a lot growth in the 10 days since the 3rd picture on my original post! (taken on the 9th)



I've bought some glosso which i'm going to try around the front as I really do need to try a carpeting plant - it will be in a good lighting position with good co2 but also strong flow - will it thrive there? Any tips??

I pulled all the Ludwigia in the middle and trimmed off any remaining decaying emersed leaves and also halved it in height after the photo was taken, it was in super condition! Quite amazing to get it all laid out and then remember the small pot it arrived in just a month earlier I even nabbed a few small stems for my Mini M

Also spotted some staghorn algae just showing on some odd leaves around the back which were chopped pronto. This prompted a thorough filter/pipe clean, rearrangement of media and a new floss pad which restored flow considerably. A filter clean every 2 weeks is definitely on the schedule now! (it had only been done about 3 weeks before).

Cheers,
Rob

 

[harryH]

Hi Rob,

You cracked it there mate, the plants look really healthy. It's so rewarding when it goes right. Do you find yourself pulling up a chair and sitting watching as I do? Wife reckons I've lost the plot.

Harry

 

[Rob P]

Do you find yourself pulling up a chair and sitting watching as I do?

lol, not as much as I should. But it's only across from the sofa (just to the right of the Tele) so I can watch the tank from afar whilst there's some crap on

 

[steveno]

Lovely healthy looking plant you have there, thou looks like you cheated using a twinstar... lol.... sorry couldn't help myself...

Like Harry, in not uncommon that i found myself looking at my tank, and then look up at the clock and surprised to find that half an hour has passed.

 

[Rob P]

Hope people don't mind me updating this? Should have done it on a journal but tank not nice enough for one IMO, however it's nice to log progress (or not!?).

Had a decent trim about 2 weeks ago and found some staghorn algae and a bit of BBA hiding round the back. Trimmed off some affected leaves and what not and it's not come back, still a little here and there but meh, some food for the critters!

It made me scratch my head and think what may have caused it, i concluded that faster growth (more plant mass) impeding flow, higher lighting and generally me pi55ing about too much with CO2 has caused this. So i've tried to get co2 to a 1 point drop and leave it alone now, i think i'd like a better needle valve going forward because i think i have it right, fauna looks happy etc then it seems to change. But i'd consider it a pretty consistent rate... Also was cleaning my filter every 3 weeks max but have made this 2 weekly now, it takes no time really and as Clive suggests you have to be on top of things all the time. Also removed another foam block in there so now have two foams, half a tray of ceramic and a floss pad. Flow is great, I even have to throttle it back a bit which is good as if i notice flow drop off I have a little in reserve

The giant saggittaria at the back is rampant, keeps popping up all over the tank on runners and some leaves are getting well over 2 feet long, so some of these were pulled on Sunday to improve flow and unblock the lighting. The Didiplis diandra is growing like a weed (lol, never wanted to be someone who said that), requires regular snipping at least weekly.

Bought some glosso of Leggyt, he sent me TONS bless him, but i've only tried a small area at the front. Snipped it into about 120 two leaf plantlet pieces and popped it in last Thursday evening, very therapeutic planting this actually! Already seeing new leaves shooting from the planlets after 3 days so pleased with that. It's in a spot of strong flow, good CO2 and unshaded so hoping it does well, i've only put it in to try a carpet plant anyway.

Pretty much everything is growing quickly and healthy and I think I need to learn how to trim properly now, not something i've had to worry about before now (the small Lobelia needs pulling and sorting properly now it's settled in to underwater life having just been chucked in a month ago).

Anyway, taken yesterday



This single stem of Polygonum has been saved from the bin quite a few times, it's been in since times of trouble and was reduced to two paltry leaves about 2 months ago, glad I've hung onto it though as it's really getting going now



Cheers,
Rob

 

[harryH]

All looks nice and healthy Rob, lovely crypts you got there mate .

I have only recently gone on to EI ferts and the difference is amazing already.

I reckon with how you've got that growing, you can confidently play around with your trimming with confidence then as I said before, armchair in front of the tank with a 4 pack....aquarist heaven .

 

[Rob P]

Thanks H

Was lucky with the crypts, there from Lee Sweeting's old tank kept in similar water so hardly any die off in mine just an odd leaf here and there. I forget how much they've grown though from being put in but you just gotta love crypts so a fine collection to take on

EI's great, so simple. I put loads in lol, feels like a waste sometimes but it's worked a treat and i have two sets of bottles so as soon as one is empty just mix it up again ready to go

Again quite lucky tank is just to the right of the TV, so always keeping an eye on it

 

[Arron Schofield]

Beautiful tank mate.that just standard substrate you got or anything underneath for plants. New to all this forum stuff got a planted tank myself how u get pics up please reply thank arron

 

[Rob P]

that just standard substrate you got or anything underneath for plants

There's 5L of JBL Aquabasis+ under some unipac sand, that's all. But I dose EI so everything the plants need is in the water column

how u get pics up please reply thank arron

lol easy, open a photo bucket account, upload your pics to it and once they are uploaded it gives you the links you need. Simply copy the link from photobucket (choice of 4 links - pick the one that says IMG) and paste into a reply. Circled link, like this...



Hope that helps
Rob

 

[Arron Schofield]

Am trying on mobile can it be done that way

 

[Rob P]

Yes but it's less straight forward but not hard. You still upload the pics and there is a link symbol, can't show you but it's obvious. Just click that and it gives the same links

 

[Arron Schofield]

[DOUBLEPOST=1396443184][/DOUBLEPOST]Ha oh dear